The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Honours Architecture's Brightest New Stars

LONDON.- RIBA Presidents Medals Student Awards 2010 The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the winners of the prestigious RIBA Presidents Medals Student Awards 2010 in association with Atkins.

Jonathan Schofield, from the University of Westminster, won the Silver Medal for his project Creative Evolution - Silvertown Ship Breaking Yard and Jack Hudspith from the Mackintosh School of Architecture (Glasgow School of Art) won the Bronze Medal for his project Cook School. Clare Richards from the University of Westminster won the Dissertation Medal for her work Happy Communities.

The RIBA Presidents Medals Student Awards promote excellence in the study of architecture, rewarding talent and encouraging architectural debate world-wide. This year, a record 270 Schools of Architecture from over 60 countries were invited to nominate two of their best student design projects at Part 1 (first degree), two at Part 2 (second degree) and one dissertation. The Silver and Bronze Medals are awarded to the best Part 2 and Part 1 design projects respectively, and the Dissertation Medal is awarded for the best exploration of different subjects, methodologies and presentations.

The winners will be presented with their Medals by RIBA President Ruth Reed at a ceremony held at the RIBA on Wednesday 1 December 2010. The recipients of the Presidents Awards for Research, and the Annie Spink Award for Excellence in Architectural Education, will also be awarded their prizes at the ceremony.

Ruth Reed, RIBA President, said:'The annual celebration of the Presidents Medals reward the outstanding young talent in schools of architecture in the UK and across the world, and this year is certainly no exception. Education is an area of great importance to me, and I warmly congratulate this years winners for their excellent work.'

Martin Pease, Atkins Head of Architecture UK, said:'In these troubled times for the construction industry, it is pleasing to see such talent and optimism displayed in the work of students. It is vital that we find a way to support this endeavour. This is why Atkins is delighted to again sponsor this years RIBA Presidents Medals Student Awards.'

A number of other awards will also be presented at the ceremony, including Commendations in the three main categories.

Commendations for Part 1 will be awarded to the projects Data Fossils by Tobias Jewson of the Architectural Association, Monastere de LEau de Vie by Nicholas Shurey of the University of Bath, and to Healing Musandam: Omani Institute of Botanical Medicine by Kirsty Williams of the Bartlett School of Architecture (UCL).

One commendation for Part 2 will be awarded to Port of London Authority (The Rise and Fall of the Icon) by James Wignall of the Royal College of Art.

Commendations in the Dissertation category will be awarded to Qibao Kenneth Koh (National University of Singapore) for Unearthed: Surveys of Ground in the Heterotopic Chinese Grave, Morgan Lewis (University of Cambridge) for Arche to Architecture: The Forum in Republican Rome, and George Wilson (Oxford Brookes University) for Mourning the Peoples Princess: Public Grief and the Consecration of Space.

The Skidmore Owings and Merrill Foundation will award two travelling fellowships of £1,250 each, to William Gowland from the University of Nottingham for Augmented Reverberation for Part 1, and to James Wignall, from the Royal College of Art for the project Port of London Authority (The Rise and Fall of the Icon) for Part 2.

The Serjeant Awards for Excellence in Drawing will be awarded to Kirsty Williams of the Bartlett School of Architecture (UCL) for Healing Musandam: Omani Institute of Botanical Medicine at Part 1, and to Jonathan Schofield of the University of Westminster for Creative Evolution - Silvertown Ship Breaking Yard at Part 2.

The public exhibition of winning work will be on display at the RIBA, London W1, from 1 December 2010 until the end of January 2011 before moving to Liverpool, where it will be on display at the milkandsugar gallery between 16 February and 8 April 2011.